Particle Astrophysics, Second Edition

D.H. Perkins

Description

The last years have seen a symbiosis of the fields of elementary particle physics and the astrophysics of the early universe. This text presents the background of the subjects and the latest developments at a level suitable for final year undergraduates and beginning graduate students. The first chapters cover the properties and interactions of elementary particles followed by discussion of the early universe, including inflation, dark matter and dark energy, and the growth of the galactic structure. The final chapters discuss cosmic rays and particle physics in the stars. The close relation between particle interactions and large scale development of the cosmos is a constant theme in the text, with emphasis on the interplay between experiment and theory.

This book is an enlarged and updated version of the first edition published five years ago. In a rapidly evolving field, emphasis has of course been placed on the most recent developments. However, the opportunity has also been taken to re-arrange the material and present it in more detail and at somewhat greater length.

Particle Astrophysics, Second Edition

D.H. Perkins

Table of Contents

Part 1 PARTICLES AND INTERACTIONS1. Quarks and Leptons and their Interactions2. Relativistic Transformations and the Equivalence Principle3. Conservation Rules, Symmetries and the Standard Model of Particle Physics4. Extensions of the Standard ModelPart 2 THE EARLY UNIVERSE5. The Expanding Universe6. Nucleosynthesis and Baryogenesis7. Dark Matter and Dark Energy components8. Development of Structure in the Early UniversePart 3 PARTICLES AND RADIATION IN THE COSMOS9. Cosmic Particles10. Particle Processes in Stars and GalaxiesAppendices